Nematodes are one of the world's major agricultural and horticultural pests, causing well over $80 billion in worldwide crop damage annually. These parasitic worms attack plant root systems, siphoning crucial nutrients, killing or adversely affecting the plants, diminishing the yields and the quality of the crops of crop producing plants, and making plants more susceptible or vulnerable to infection, secondary infestations, drought, and other stresses.
Traditional methods for the eradication or control of nematodes have focused on highly toxic contact and fumigant pesticides whose use have not been subject to rigid restrictions or prohibited For example, organophosphate and carbamate contact nematicides are non-specific neurotoxins and are among the most dangerous pesticides for humans, birds, fish, bees and other non-targeted organisms. Fenamiphos and carbofuran have been or are slated for banning in the United States and aldicarb is subject to sever restrictions. Methylbromide, a fumigant, since banned, is an ozone-depleting compound with broad toxicity. Other fumigants, like Metam-sodium and 1,3-dichloropropene, are highly toxic and subject to rigid restrictions. Although effective, the efficacy of these fumigants is adversely affected by soils having high organic matter content, which tends to deactivate the fumigant active. The contact nematicides, on the other hand, are less effective, as the distribution of the active is less efficient than with fumigants, and to be effective, they must persist in the soil long enough to kill the nematodes. Extended persistence, however, is not desirable if there is concern with respect to residues in the crops and/or contamination of groundwater by the actives or their residues.
Thus, there remains a tremendous need for effective nematicides that eliminate or certainly lessen concern for toxicity to humans and other non-targeted organisms. Similarly, there is a tremendous, unfilled need for nematicides that can be efficaciously and effectively applied to soils and to growing plants and which are environmentally benign, or substantially so and more specific to their target organisms.
In following, there is a need for an environmentally acceptable method for the eradication and/or control of nematodes. Similarly there is a need for a method for the eradication and/or control of nematodes which does not put at risk, or at least lessens the risk to, humans and other non-target organisms.